Uptown Girls
by Wesfanemt333
Summary: This is in response to Gidgetgirls challenge. I hope you like it. Currently being revamped.
1. setting the scene

A/N: OK, I'm trying my hand at Gidgetgirl's Uptown Girls challenge. This is also my first attempt at a Buffy Fic, so there's two firsts in one fic. Anyone who has read my work, my updates are sporadic, I have no beta, and I love feedback, it encourages me to continue. The usual disclaimer: I do not own Buffy/Angel (because if I did, Fred would not have died and then been cancelled, those bastards!!)

Cordelia Chase, spoiled brat extraordinaire, lounged in her favorite poolside chair, checking her tan. She reached for her drink, finding it empty, opened her mouth,

"CAMILLE!!" she shrieked, in a voice that carried over the lavish Chase

Estate, "My glass is EMPTY, and that is never good." She smiled as she saw Camille hurrying towards her, an ice cold pitcher full of margarita goodness. "What kept you, I could have been dying of thirst?" sounding like the petulant child, she was, instead of a twenty-three year old woman she should be.

"So sorry, Miss Cordelia, I was answering the phone inside, your father called from Europe, he wanted you to. . ."

"I don't care, he always wants something stupid. Tell him I'm out shopping, or I went out. I don't know, I don't want to talk to him, at all." Cordelia cut off the maid's statement, trying to forget the pain that she felt whenever he was mentioned.

"Yes, Miss Cordelia" Camille turned and walked back to the mansion. Cordelia went back to her sunbathing, deliberately ridding her mind of any thought of her father, the so-called godfather of Rock.

Meanwhile, on the other side of town . . . in a fairly nice suburban house, trouble was brewing: specific location, house number six, Cherry Pie Lane. Now at first glance, number six appears peaceful and quiet, but on the inside;

"THAT'S IT, I QUIT!!" in a voice so loud that could be heard on the sidewalk, boomed out of the house. The sudden noise caused a couple of young lovebirds to look at the house in shock, then scurry past. Inside the house, a blond woman started packing her suitcase, while her employer tried to talk to her.

"Please, Miss Kendall, I-I-I'm sure Faith can be a handful, but she likes you. Please don't quit on us now. She's been having a-a-a-a rather difficult time, since her mother passed on."

"NO, I've tried, and I've tried, Mr. Wyndham-Price, but she does not like me, and I can't do this anymore. There is not enough money that could make this worth my while. I'm sorry, but you need to get her professional help." Harmony grabbed her suitcase and fled, Mr. Wyndham-Price following her to the door, still stammering incoherently. As she walked into the night, Mr. Wyndham-Price closed the door slowly and walked upstairs.

Wesley walked to his daughter's room where she sat watching him, silently. He walked over to her, and sat down next to her and sighed as she climbed into his lap.

"Faith, you know, you mustn't drive off the nannies, like that. That's the sixth one this month! What am I to do with you?" Faith looked at him, her big brown eyes pleading with him, and he sighed again, hugging her close to him. "I love you; baby, but you need a nanny, at least for a while. Daddy has to work. Now, why don't you read one of your books, I still have to finish a few reports before I make dinner?"

Faith climbed off his lap, after kissing him on the cheek, and picked up a book. Wesley glanced at his small, silent daughter, and walked reluctantly off to his office. He sat down at his desk, seeing the picture from only six months ago. Faith's sixth birthday party, one of the last truly happy times. He 

picked up the picture, seeing Faith sitting on his wife's lap, He standing behind them, all smiling radiantly.

"God, Buffy, we need you." He whispered quietly, not wanting to disturb his daughter.

Reformatted and edited for your enjoyment.


	2. turning points

A/N: Ok, I should have mentioned this in the first chapter, but I have not actually seen the movie Uptown Girls, I'm just making up the plot with the guidelines of the challenge and whatever spews forth from my warped brain. Ergo, for those who were expecting it to coincide, my most sincere apologies? I hope this doesn't mess up any terms to the challenge. Standard Disclaimer, don't own don't sue

Well on to the plot. Oh and extra points for anyone who recognizes the reference to Mary Poppins in the first chapter.

At the Chase Mansion:

Having finished her sun bathing, Cordelia sauntered up the house, planning on changing clothes and then heading off to do what she did best; shopping! She picked out her outfit carefully; you can never tell who will be at the mall. As she surveyed her outfit in the mirror carefully, she heard Camille approaching her door. Before the maid could speak, Cordelia headed her off,

"Camille, I'm going out. If someone important calls, have them call my cell. And When I say important, that does not mean the one and only Mr. Rock and Roll Chase." She brushed passed Camille and stalked off to the stores, leaving a flustered maid frozen in her steps. Then Camille sighed, and went to the kitchen, where she wrote down all the messages.

Cordelia was blissfully in her element, shopping for more outfits. In less then two hours, she had racked up almost five hundred dollars worth. When she attempted to pay for it, disaster (for Cordelia anyway) struck!

"I'm sorry, Miss Chase, but this card is not valid. Do you have any other method of payment?" The clerk, hoping for a decent commission asked patiently.

"WHAT! You must have scanned it wrong. That card has no limit you do know what that means, or is it to complex for you?" The clerk swiped the card again, with the same results. Cordelia went through

All her credit cards, all twenty of them, without any of them working. Her face beet red from anger, she threw a tantrum of epic proportions. She screamed so loud, security ran in to see who was being murdered. After five minutes, she was escorted. Flailing her arms wildly and ordered not to return, to which she replied,

"Like your store will be in business for long. Once my father finds out, you'll be working at Doublemeat Palace."

She stopped, and tried to calm herself. She walked to her car and drove home determined to find out what had gone wrong with her credit cards. She pulled up to the mansion and went searching for Camille, using her voice.

"CAMILLE, WHERE ARE YOU? I NEED YOU NOW!!" No response came, Cordelia started looking. Then she found the messages. One from her father, ugh, one from Lindsey, their attorney, then finally a note from Camille.

"Miss Cordelia, I am sorry, but I cannot work for you any longer. The IRS has started calling and apparently your father has not paid any of his taxes. I do not want to leave, but I am not a legal citizen, if I am caught I will be deported. Please call your father, have him explain the situation.

Sorry for the short notice,

Camille"

Cordelia stared at the note for a few minutes in shock and then reached for the phone. Sighing heavily, she started dialing the number to her father's latest penthouse.

Meanwhile at the Wyndham-Price Residence, there was a heated phone call already in progress.

"Wh-wh what do you mean, you don't have anyone to send? How many nannies do you employ? This is urgent! Hello, H-h-hello?" Wesley hung up the phone, clearly aggravated. He'd managed to send Faith with his brother to go to the grocery store, but he wasn't sure how well she'd do with Rupert. Before the accident, Faith had been so outgoing, but now she had withdrawn so much. It was dismal, the whole situation, Wesley wasn't even sure of how much longer he'd be employed.

Wesley was one of their best, but lately, getting called away so often to deal with Faith was not making his employers happy. He thought about the situation and finally decided to try for an ad in the local paper. He called and made arrangements.

Then Wes sat down in his office, and tried to work for what little time he could, but found his eyes staring at his favorite picture of Buffy. He was so intent; he didn't hear his brother and Faith return. Suddenly, there was a tapping on his shoulder. Rupert laughed as Wesley jumped in his seat. Wesley turned to glare at his older brother.

"Very funny Rupert, perhaps next time, I'll just have a bloody heart attack and be done with it." He snapped, regretting it almost instantly as he saw the look on his brother's face.

"OK, someone's a little on the touchy side." Rupert's face softened as he saw Buffy's picture. "It hasn't been easy on either of you, has it, Wes?"

"No, we were so happy and then, gone in a moment. So, how did it go with Faith, and where is she?" Wesley quickly changed to a safer topic.

"Well, she didn't cause any trouble, but I couldn't get a word out of her. Not once, and she used to be such a talker! Then when we got back up here, she went straight up to her room. Have you thought about getting her some help?" Rupert frowned in concern for both his brother and his niece.

"No, I think she'll come out of it on her own. I-I just can't, Rupert, Buffy's death was so traumatic for her. I don't think any outsider could help." Wesley's voice was strained, thinking of the horrible accident that had cost him his wife and Faith her mother. Faith had barely said anything since that day. She occasionally, with much prodding from Wes, would speak. But it wasn't often that she spoke, especially not compared to the outgoing chatterbox she'd been before.

"Wes, I hope that you're right. If you need us, both Jenny and I are here for you. But for now, let's order that pizza and have some dinner." Rupert knew his brother well enough that he shouldn't push the subject anymore today at least.

TBC

Likes, Dislikes, questions?

Thanks for reading,


	3. calm before the storm

Hello all, back again with more. I'm glad to hear people are enjoying this fic. All of the props go to gigdgetgirl for the idea for this fic. As per the norm I own nada, make no money from this fic.

At the Chase mansion

"You can't take that, it's mine!" Cordelia screamed at the repo men, who just kept grabbing furniture and other expensive items. The men didn't bother explaining again about how they were just doing their jobs. This wasn't anything new for them. It was another day on the job, taking away things that weren't paid for. They finished filling up their truck and drove away,

Leaving Cordelia, shaking with rage. She wondered where Lindsey was, he was late for their meeting. She finally saw his pick-up in the driveway and scurried out to meet him.

"Where have you been, the repo men came and took everything! I can't believe you were late; I don't even have a bed anymore! What is going on? How could my dad not have paid the IRS, we have an accountant? Where is that weasely little rat, anyway, shouldn't he be here?"

"OK, Cordelia, calm down, I don't know where Synder is, I think he's run off. Now your father claims that Synder filed his tax reports. So it looks like the little weasel has been skimming your father's accounts and keeping the money. Now let's go inside and talk." Lindsay followed Cordelia back into the mansion. When they went inside, he noticed that the repo men had been meticulous in deed. Most of the appliances were intact, but the kitchen table had been taken, along with most of the chairs.

"So what do we do now? I don't have any money!" Cordelia's whining put all three year olds to shame, it was artful. Lindsay was used to it; He'd been the Chase's lawyer since before for many years, so he waited for a time, until Cordy had settled down a bit.

"Well the first thing you need to do is get a job. I've already talked to your father and the IRS. His royalties are going to them for a very long time. The IRS will take most of them, about ninety-five percent. The other five will go to his tour expenses and some of the house expenses. You need to find work as quickly as possible; I brought you a newspaper, look through the want ads, and apply. I will be filing papers and assisting the authorities as best I can as to where the Weasel might have run to. Here is some paperwork on finding employment, read it and call me if you have any Legal difficulties."

He left, leaving Cordelia paralyzed in her chair.

He was opening the door to his truck when the paralysis broke and Cordelia stormed up to him.

"Where am I going to find a job? I have no skills, no employment experience! Did you have a nice bowl of Crazio's this morning?" Her voice reaching a glass shattering pitch. Lindsay sighed; he'd hoped to be home before having to field this question.

"You'll find something, just try, and call me if you need advice." He drove off, leaving a shell-shocked Cordelia, for the second time that day. Cordelia walked back into the house, and looked in the paper.

"I can't believe I'm doing this. Oh, how the mighty have fallen." She muttered to herself as she flipped to the help wanted ads. She scrolled down the page, talking under her breath as she read them. "Cook, no way in hell, Nurse's assistant, yuck, fast food, ew, too much grease, nanny, hmm. Wanted: Live-in Nanny for a six year old quiet girl. Reasonable rates, comfortable room, call for details. That might work, only one kid, how bad could it possibly be?" She picked up the phone and dialed the number.

"Hello, I'm calling about the ad in the newspaper for the Nanny position?". . . . .

The Wyndham-Price house

"And you can start tomorrow? Excellent, shall we say nine o'clock? Wonderful, I'll see you then." Wesley hung up the phone and sighed in relief. He looked at Faith who was seated at the table in the kitchen, staring at him. "Yes, Faith, that was a new nanny for you. Her name is Cordelia Chase, and you will be nice to her, right?" Faith didn't say anything to him, just looked at him, her eyes speaking the words she wouldn't.

"I know you don't want a nanny, luv, but what can I do? Do you want me to lose my job? We would have to move in with Grandma Joyce or Uncle Rupert and Aunt Jenny. Please, baby, just try to get along with Miss Chase, for daddy?" Faith sighed, and walked out of the kitchen, up to her room. She didn't want a new nanny; she only wanted her daddy and her mommy. Faith knew her mommy was dead, she remembered it every night. One minute Mommy was talking to Faith, and the next, the car was spinning around like a ride. In the next few seconds, there was an awful crunching sound, and she felt a sudden jerk. Mommy wasn't moving, and there was so much blood.

Faith sat in her room, coloring at her desk. She liked to color and she was good at it. Her kindergarten teacher, Miss Anya had said so. She drew a picture of her family before the accident, with Mommy and Daddy standing next to her. She heard the doorbell ring, and her daddy answering it. Uncle Rupert and Aunt Jenny stepped in with their two children, Willow and Xander.

Willow and Xander came upstairs and knocked on Faith's door and slowly opened it. They smiled at her and came up to see her drawing. Faith smiled at them, they were her favorite cousins. Willow and Xander were twins, both eight and a half. Willow and Xander both looked at her, and Xander suggested,

"Let's play hide and seek, I'll be it first!" Willow and Faith both nodded. Xander closed his eyes and the girls scampered out of the room giggling.

Downstairs, Wes was talking to Jenny and Rupert about the new nanny starting the next day. He asked Jen

"Could you stay with the kids for a while, I need to leave for about a half hour?" Jenny nodded, and Wes grabbed his coat. She and Rupert looked at each other, silently communicating, and Rupert nodded to his wife. He waited for five minutes after Wes left, and followed.

He knew where his brother was going, he was going to the Buffy's grave, had been every week or so.

At Buffy's grave, Wesley stood there for a moment and started filling her in on the situation. He held back the tears that threatened to fall. ". . . and I found a new nanny, but I don't know if I'm doing the right thing. God, I miss you so much, why did this happen, I can't do this alone, I-I-I know I'm a poor excuse for a father, it's all my fault." The tears that had been threatening to fall finally did, as Wes sank to his knees. He didn't see or hear his brother approaching.

"Wes, it's not your fault. You are doing the best you can. What more can you do, you are not God? Faith loves you, and Buffy loved you so much. You are a doctor, but even if you'd have been there, nothing could have saved her. She was trapped by the dashboard. I know you are miserable, but Faith needs you now, pull yourself together." Rupert helped his brother to his feet, and grabbed him in a bear hug. Wes wiped off his face and looked at Rupert,

"I know, it just gets so hard, trying to work in that hospital, dealing with Faith. Then there's the endless stream of nannies who quit on me. I just needed to get it off my chest. Let's get back to the house; I don't want Faith to worry about me." The two brothers headed back to Wes's home in silence. Rupert worried about his younger brother, and his niece, both of whom had suffered so much. Wes worried about Faith, his only child, whom he loved so dearly. They walked back, each worrying, each deep in thought.

TBC Questions, comments?


	4. starting fresh

A/N: I know it's been a ridiculously long time since I've updated this story. I haven't written much lately, due to RL things. Heh, kids will do that. But I'm going to try and get this story off the ground again. We'll see how it goes.

Cordelia woke up to the sound of the alarm clock blaring at eight o'clock sharp. It was the first time that alarm had ever been set that early. Usually she would sleep until noon or later. But this was important, since her father's tax man had embezzled everything. She groaned as she slowly dragged herself off of the mattress she'd slept on the night before. The men had barely left anything in the mansion at all. But that wasn't the issue right now.

"I can't believe I'm up this early. No one should ever be up before noon. It's like a total violation of the Genevian covenant, whatever that was." She sighed, before getting ready for the day. She was entering the work force, a strange and unfamiliar place.

"To boldly go, where no Chase has gone before." She muttered to herself as she stepped into the shower. Being dirty was out of the question. Only poor people didn't bathe regularly. Cordelia may have been broke, but she wasn't going to look or smell it.

Back at the Wyndham-Price household, it was the normal morning routine. Wesley was cooking breakfast while Faith watched some educational television. It was the only TV she was allowed to watch. Wes finished the eggs and called his daughter in to eat. Thankfully she wasn't a picky eater, one less worry for her father. They ate, and Wes tried to draw Faith into conversations, but she wasn't going to talk this morning. After a little bit, Wes grew tired of feeling like he was talking to himself, and ate in silence.

After breakfast, Faith helped her father clear the dishes. They had been in this routine for a good while now. Even when Buffy was still alive, Faith and Wesley took care of the table. When they finished putting it all in the dishwasher, Wes went upstairs to prepare for another day at the hospital. He hoped that it would be a day free of frantic phone calls. Dr. Wood, his immediate boss, tried to be sympathetic, but even his supervisor had his limits. The doorbell interrupted Wes as he straightened his tie. He went down to answer it, hoping that this time would be the last. Maybe they could get this new nanny to stay for more than a week. He looked up, silently praying that things would work out.

Wesley answered the door, opening it to see a stylishly dressed young woman, with a bright smile on her face.

"Hi! I'm Cordelia Chase, your new nanny extraordinaire. What a lovely house, Mr. Wyndham-Price."

And there I leave it. Let me know your thoughts on this.


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